Spring group



June 14, 1949. R. B. COTTRELL SPRING GROUP Filed July 3, 1944 INVEN TOR.

AMA-W Patented June 14, 1949 tXANHNHi SPRING GROUP Robert B. Cottrell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 3, 1944, Serial No. 543,225

10 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a spring group and more particularly to one especially suited for railway freight car trucks in which long spring travel may be utilized where desirable.

The general object of my invention is to devise a novel form of spring group comprising a plurality of coil springs confined by top and bottom plates with friction means at each end of the device suitable for damping the oscillations of the associated springs. My novel arrangement contemplates such a group wherein the friction means at each end of the device may comprise opposed panels or shoes with resilient means therebetween and with a plurality of aligned interlocking means suitable for maintaining the panels in approximately the same vertical position so that the shoe assembly may operate substantially as a unit.

A different object of my invention is to devise such a spring and friction unit in which each friction unit may comprise a plurality of open-ended housings fixed to the respective spring plates and aligned with each other to accommodate the operation therewithin of a shoe assembly including a plurality of shoes with interlocking aligning means and resilient means compressed between the shoes.

A further object of my invention is to devise such an arrangement as that described wherein the friction shoe assembly may have vertical V- shaped frictional engagement with the confining housings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view, half in section, of one modification of my invention, the section being taken approximately in the horizonta1 plane bisecting the device as indicated by the line I-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, half in section, the section being taken in the vertical plane bisecting the device approximately as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a further modification of my arrangement and otherwise corresponds generally to the top plan view of Figure 1.

My novel arrangement comprises the top spring plate 2 and the bottom spring plate 4, each of said plates being flanged about its perimeter as at i, 6, and the opposite ends of the respective plates converging toward each other as at I, 8 (Figure 2) while the edges of each plate at opposite ends thereof are also convergingly arranged as indicated at I0, l (Figure 1). Confined between the plates centrally thereof may be a plurality of coil springs diagrammatically indicated at l2, l2, positioning means therefor laterally and longitudinally of the device being afforded by the angle irons l4, 14 which may be welded to the respective plates as at l8, l6, and a plurality of such angle irons I4, 14 may also be welded at the center of the device to the respective plates, said positioning means together with the before-mentioned inturned flanges 6, 6 of the respective plates substantially confining each coil to its proper position within the device. At each end of the group may be confined a friction device, each of which may include open-ended housings l8, I! of rectangular section, as well shown in the sectional view of Figure 1, one end of each housing being welded to the adjacent plate as at 20, 20 and the top and bottom housings being properly aligned with each other so that corresponding walls of respective housings may be coplanar.

The aligned housings l8, l8 may have cooperative relationship with a friction shoe assembly, generally designated 22, said assembly comprising a plurality Of opposed parallel friction plates 24, 24. each of said plates having flat upper and lower frictional areas 26 and 28 in frictional engagement, respectively, as at 30 and 32 with the adjacent friction walls 34 and 35 at corresponding sides of the adjacent housings I8, I8. Each friction shoe 24 may have the friction side thereof interrupted by a horizontal groove or recess 38 dividing the upper and lower friction areas thereof and preventing the formation of shoulders thereon during wear. The friction face of each shoe may also have a narrow vertical slot 40 defined by shoulders 42, 42 at the upper and lower extremities thereof which may afford abutment as at 44, 44 for stop means or lugs 48, 48 which may be welded to the outer walls of respective housings l8, ll as at 4B, 48, said lugs 48, 48 thus cooperating with the slots 40 to limit the expansion of the spring group as a whole.

Each friction shoe 24 may have adjacent the upper end thereof a dowel or male member ill at one side of the shoe and an outstanding lug or female member 52 at the opposite side of the shoe with an opening 54 therein, the dowels 50, 50 and openings 54, 54 of respective shoes being aligned with each other so that the dowels may project into the openings and afford means for positioning and aligning the shoes with each other, said dowels 5|, II and lugs 52, 52 also affording positioning means for the resilient means diagrammatically indicated at 58. 56, said resilient means being confined between the opposed shoes and being operative to urge said shoes into engagement with the opposed walls of the respective housings, top and bottom of the spring group. Each friction shoe may have adjacent the lower edge thereof a plurality of lugs 58, 58, and the respective lugs 58, 58 may afford positioning means for the interposed resilient means 55, 56 at the bottom of each shoe assembly. Thus, each friction shoe assembly comprises two shoes with a dowel on each shoe projecting into an aligned opening on the opposite shoe together with a plurality of resilient means, here illustrated as four springs compressed between the opposed shoes, said shoe assembly being suitably arranged for handling as a unit.

The inner friction wall of each housing I8 may be relieved as at 60 (Figure 2) adjacent its abutment with the supporting plate, and the outer wall of each housing may be similarly cut away as at 62, 62 in order to prevent the formation of shoulders therealong under operating conditions.

The modification illustrated in Figure 3 is generally similar to that just described except that each friction housing I02 may have opposed V- shaped vertical friction walls I04 affording V- shaped vertical faces for frictional engagement as at I06 with complementary faces on the opposed friction shoes I08, I08, said opposed shoes having the alternately arranged dowels H0, H and lugs H2, I I2 aligned for interlocking relationship, as described for the previous modification, said dowels and lugs also affording positioning means for the resilient means diagrammatically indicated at H4, H4, said resilient means actuating said shoes in the same manner as for the previous modification to urge them into frictional engagement as at I06 with the complementary friction walls I04, I04. Each friction shoe I 08 may be formed with the vertical slot I I6 for cooperative interlockin engagement with the limiting lugs H8, I I 8, fixed on the respective edges of the outer housing walls of the top and bottom housings, as in the previous modification. In the modification of Figure 3, the identical top and bottom plates may be designated I20 and flanged therearound as at I22, said flanges affording positioning means for coil springs, diagrammatically indicated at I24, and additional positioning means for said springs bein provided by the welded angle irons at I26, I26, as in the previous modification. In the modification of Figure 3, like that of Figures 1 and 2, the friction shoe assembly comprising two opposed friction shoes, interlocking dowels and lugs, and resilient means confined therebetween, is designed to be handled as a unit to facilitate and simplify assembling and dismantling operations.

It will be observed that my novel arrangement is suitable for any application requiring a group of springs and snubbing means associated therewith, whether said springs be long, short or medium travel. It will also be noted that my novel snubbing arrangement will afford substantially constant friction at all times during the stroke and in either direction, that is, during compression or release.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown which are merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a spring group, a friction device comprising opposite housings of rectangular sections,

each presenting opposed internal friction faces with the corresponding faces of respective housings in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed interlocked friction shoes each having fiat face engagement with both of said housings and at least one of said shoes having interlocking engagement with means on a wall of each housing to limit the expansion of the device, the interlock between opposed shoes comprising oppositely arranged dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes adjacent the upper ends thereof operative to limit relative movement therebetween other than to and fro, each of said shoe assemblies comprising a plurality of resilient means positioned by said dowels and hollow lugs at one end of the shoe assembly and a plurality of positioning means adjacent the other end of the assembly confining other resilient means therebetween.

2. In a spring group, a friction device comprising opposite housings of rectangular sections, each presenting opposed internal friction faces with the corresponding faces of respective housings in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed friction shoes each having fiat face engagement with both of said housings and at least one of said shoes having interlocking engagement with means on a wall of each housin to limit the expansion of the device, and interlocking means on said shoes comprising oppositely arranged dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes affording positioning means for resilient means confined therebetween and limiting relative rotational movement between said shoes while permitting to and fro movement therebetween.

3. In a spring group, top and bottom plates, coil springs confined therebetween, and friction means at each end of the group comprising friction housings secured to respective plates, each presenting opposed vertical friction faces with the corresponding faces of respective housings being in coplanar relationship. and a friction shoe assembly including a pair of friction shoes each having vertical friction surfaces engaging the face of each housing, said shoes having oppositely arranged telescoping interlocking means limiting movement other than to and fro therebetween, each of said means comprising a male member on one of said shoes and a female member on the other of said shoes receiving said male member therein, and a plurality of resilient means confined between the shoes of each pair, certain of said resilient means being positioned by said interlocking means and other of said resillent means being independent thereof.

4. In a spring group, top and bottom plates, coil springs confined therebetween, and friction means at each end of the group comprising friction housings secured to respective plates, each presenting opposed vertical V-shaped friction faces with corresponding faces of respective housings being in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly including a pair of friction shoes each having vertical friction surfaces engaging the face of each housing, said shoes having oppositely arranged telescoping interlocking means limiting movement other than to and fro therebetween, each of said means comprising a male member on one of said shoes and a female member on the other of said shoes receiving said male member therein, and a plurality of resilient means confined between the shoes of each pair, certain of said resilient means being positioned by said interlocking means.

5. In a spring group, a friction device comprising opposite housings of rectangular sections. each presenting opposed internal friction faces with the correspondin faces of respective housings in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed interlocked friction shoes each having fiat face engagement with both of said housings and at least one of said shoes having interlocking engagement with means on a wall of each housing to limit the expansion of the device, the interlock between opposed shoes comprising oppositely arranged dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes adjacent the upper ends thereof operative to limit relative movement therebetween other than to and fro.

6. In a spring group, a friction device comprising opposite housings of rectangular sections, each presenting opposed internal friction faces with the corresponding faces of respective housings in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed interlocked friction shoes each having fiat face engagement with both of said housings and at least one of said shoes having interlocking engagement with means on a wall of each housing to limit the expansion of the device, the interlocking means on said shoes comprising oppositely arranged dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes affording positioning means for resilient means confined therebetween and limiting relative rotational movement between said shoes.

7. In a spring group, top and bottom plates, coil springs confined therebetween, and friction devices at opposite ends of said group, each of said devices comprising aligned housings fixed to respective plates and affording opposed coplanar friction faces, and a friction shoe assembly comprising a pair of friction shoes each having frictional engagement with a face of each housing, interlocking means on said shoes, and resilient means compressed between said shoes, said interlocking means comprising relatively movable interengaging male and female members fixed to respective shoes.

8. In a friction device, spaced friction housings each presenting opposed friction faces with the corresponding faces of respective housings being in coplanar relationship, and a friction shoe assembly including a pair of friction shoes each having friction surfaces engaging the face of each housing, said shoes having oppositely arranged telescoping interlocking means thereon limiting movement other than to and fro therebetween, each of said means comprising a male member on one of said shoes and a female memher on the other of said shoes receiving said male member therein, resilient means confined between said shoes, one of said shoes having a vertical slot defined by top and bottom shoulders, and means on respective housings affording abutment with said shoulders to limit expansion of said device.

9. In a friction device, spaced housings each presenting opposed internal friction faces, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed friction shoes each having engagement with a friction face on each housing and at least one of said shoes having interlocking engagement with means on a wall of each housing to limit the expansion of the device, and interlocking means on said shoes comprising oppositely arranged telescoping dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes affording positioning means for resilient means confined therebetween and limiting relative rotational movement between said shoes while permitting to and fro movement therebetween.

10. In a friction device, spaced housings each presentin opposed internal friction faces, and a friction shoe assembly in cooperative relation with said housings and comprising opposed friction shoes each having engagement with a friction face on each housing, and interlocking means on said shoes comprising oppositely arranged telescoping dowels and hollow lugs on respective shoes limiting relative rotational movement between said shoes while permitting to and fro movement therebetween.

ROBERT B. CO'I'IRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

